Caius Vallerion
High King Caius Vallerion of Cyrodiil was an Imperial ruler and revolutionary in the Second Era. He was critical to the success of Caius' Rebellion, a peasant uprising against the King of Nibenay that put him on the throne. From there, he led a grand conquest of the province of Cyrodiil, culminating with the Battle of the Imperial City and his coronation as Cyrodiil's High King. He is known by many as The Unbroken for his unwavering spirit and valor in battle, as well as The Peoples' King for his kind and caring nature towards the commoners. Behind his back, however, many called him the Kingslayer for having killed Nibenay's former king, Venaros III, in single combat. Early Life Caius was born in the slums of Leyawiin, a poor and corrupt city in Nibenay. His parents were both farmers and thus he had little opportunity for a formal education. His lowborn status would make him the ideal leader of his rebellion later in life. From an early age, Caius was incredibly strong and good with a blade. Upon turning 16, he had very few choices in life aside from joining the king's army or becoming a farmer like his parents - a life he had no interest in. Thus, he became a soldier: cannon fodder to be used in the king's endless wars. He did not face such a fate, however, as Caius quickly proved himself to be a formidable fighter and thus rose through the ranks with relative ease. Eventually, he was even granted knighthood, and by the time he was 20 he served in the Kingsguard: the highest honor a soldier could hope to attain. Caius' Rebellion Though Caius was grateful for the king's generosity, he saw firsthand just how cruel his liege really was. King Venaros was a ruthless and brutal man, spending hours in the dungeons creating new ways to torture his victims. He had little regard for his peasants, only concerned with their ability to wield a sword in his name. He was incredibly greedy as well, hoarding money and titles for his own personal use. He was corrupt to the very core, and while the peasants wanted him gone, they had virtually no power to do anything about it. Caius was no different. Though he was sworn to protect the king without exception, he secretly began plotting to overthrow him. After traveling through all of Nibenay on personal leave, Caius covertly gathered an army of farmers, miners, fishermen and other peasants to rise up against the king. In total, he raised about 30,000 men - large in number but weak in experience and strength. When the time came, the horde of commoners marched on the king's palace and demanded that he abdicate in favor of a more fair ruler. When the king refused, a civil war that would be known as Caius' Rebellion broke out. Caius was the only experienced general that the peasants had on their side. He struggled to lead such a massive army on his own, and thus faced a series of defeats in the early years. However, the tide turned in his favor when the peasants won a major battle at Bravil, sending the king's largest force retreating to his capital. Caius' army followed them and cornered eventually had them cornered in the king's palace. The siege of the palace lasted for almost a month, but in the end Caius led a massive charge into the throne room, where he challenged the king to single combat. Caius won, leaving an empty throne and a crown without a head to sit on. Upon being urged to take the seat by his peasants, Caius gladly accepted the crown and the throne. He became the new King of Nibenay, and promised to be a fair and just ruler. King of Nibenay Upon winning the throne and ending his rebellion, the numerous vassals of the former King Venaros pledged loyalty to Caius. They knew that if they refused his rule, they would face a continued rebellion and would likely lose their power as well. By the time Caius had accepted his new vassals' pledges, he had assembled one of the largest armies that Tamriel had ever seen (moreover, he had the largest fighting force in the world at that time). Taking advantage of the situation, the king began a massive conquest known as the Unification of Cyrodiil in which he began to take over his neighbor's lands one-by-one. With his unmatched army, Caius steamrolled over all of Cyrodiil. Many accepted vassalization outright to avoid getting conquered militarily, but most fought back for their freedom. In the end, however, Caius was victorious. The unification lasted about 34 years, culminating with the siege of the Imperial City. After taking the Imperial Isle, Caius sat on the Ruby Throne, essentially making himself Cyrodiil's new High King. It also signified the very earliest days of the Vallerion Empire, which would be officially formed years later. High King of Cyrodiil Caius' coronation was massive, with countless people from all over the province attending. Even some commoners were allowed to watch, as Caius wanted to continue being seen as a man of the people. Afterwards, in private, the new High King attempted to relight the Dragonfires like the Emperors of old. He failed, but let no one know of it. From there, he began to rule his new kingdom. Caius spent his last few years in relative peace, with most of the remaining nations pledging allegiance to him as vassals. Only a few resisted, and many of them were promptly forced to bend the knee. He enacted many reforms, including laws to give himself more authority, but also edicts to give more rights and privileges to commoners. This made him all the more popular with his peasants, who viewed him as "The Peoples' King." Certain vassals, however, viewed him as weak. They believed a king should be authoritative and hard, and should rule by fear and not love. This faction was led by Luther Silvectus, Count of Chorrol, who aspired to become king himself. A handful of other vassals assisted him, but most simply did not know of the plan. Coup Count Luther's plan was to get rid of King Caius through any means necessary, and his line as well. From there, a power vacuum would exist and he could easily take control, militarily or otherwise. An important part of the plan relied on his ability to capture and imprison the king's son and direct heir, Caius II, in order to make sure a regency council would be in charge of Cyrodiil following the king's death, which would be orchestrated by Luther as well. The plan was mostly successful. With his army, Count Luther launched a midnight raid on Prince Caius' home and captured him. He was sealed away in the Count's dungeons afterward, at the best to ensure that a regency council would exist, and at the worst as a bargaining chip and hostage if the need arose. Meanwhile, he and his co-conspirators plotted the downfall of King Caius himself. Struggling to find a mole into the White-Gold Tower, Count Luther eventually resorted to the Dark Brotherhood. The assassin's guild sent their absolute best infiltrator to do the job, which she completed successfully. Following King Caius' death, the king's council determined that a period of regency should be established until the king's son could be located. Count Luther cajoled his way to the regency council, and was in a position to obtain a tremendous amount of power. However, he was disadvantaged due to the fact that most of the former king's vassals were incredibly loyal to their dead liege, and thus began to investigate the assassination and Caius II's disappearance. Eventually, the truth was revealed. Count Luther was responsible for everything that had happened, and Caius II was freed from captivity. By the time they reached him, however, it was discovered that he had been severely tortured. He had suffered a great deal of injuries, and had been blinded as well. The council convened and debated whether or not a blind king could rule effectively, but in the end Caius II was allowed to take the throne and House Vallerion continued to survive. Legacy King Caius was an incredibly benevolent ruler. He did not abuse his power; instead, he used to it help those under his command. He enacted several reforms that allowed the peasants to live a better life, and treated his vassals fairly as well by distributing land in an equal manner. Nonetheless, he was a conqueror, though he treated his enemies fairly as well. Caius was incredibly beloved by almost everyone in the realm. Thousands attended his funeral in the Imperial City. He was buried in Green Emperor Way, along with Cyrodiil's past rulers, including Reman Cyrodiil among others. As a result of his crimes, Count Luther Silvectus was publicly executed in front of the White-Gold Tower on the orders of Caius II. Category:Characters Category:High Kings Category:Males Category:Imperials Category:Deceased